FORT MYERS, Fla. - Indiana State baseball jumped on top of Rutgers with six runs in the first inning but it was the bullpen that combined to throw six shutout frames in a 7-5 victory that secured a series win over the Scarlet Knights Saturday evening in Fort Myers.
 
Evan Giles, Austin Cross and Tyler Ward each faced at least four Rutgers (5-14) batters in the relief appearances Saturday night. Giles (1-1) came into the game in the fourth inning and went a career long three innings, retiring the first seven batters he faced en route to his first win of the 2019 campaign. Giles allowed only one base hit while striking out one of the nine batters he faced.
 
Austin Cross sat down Rutgers in order in the seventh, striking out one and Tyler Ward finished off the final inning and two-thirds of the ballgame, striking out three batters as he earned his third save of the season.
 
The Sycamores (18-2) used six base hits in the first inning to run Rutgers starting pitcher Kyle Gerace (0-1) from the game after recording just one out. Gerace faced just eight Sycamores, issuing a walk and giving up six hits and five earned runs.
 
Out of the bullpen for Rutgers was Tevin Murray who completely changed the game, allowing only one base hit over the next four and two-third innings. Murray sat down six of the 19 ISU batters he saw on strikeouts.
 
Clay Dungan would get the Sycamores rolling in the eighth to secure an insurance run after singling to right with one out. That left the door open for Jake Means, and the senior delivered with an RBI double down the line in left that scored Dungan all the way from first.
 
Dungan, Means, Roby Enriquez, Romero Harris, Joe Boyle and Jarrod Watkins all singled to open the game in the first. After two runs crossed the plate, Boyle delivered a single up the middle that scored two more to make it 4-0 in favor of the Sycamores. Watkins delivered a one out single to score another run before the Sycamores took advantage of a throwing error to plate the sixth run of the inning.
 
Collin Liberatore went three innings in the no decision. The right-hander allowed seven base hits and five runs in the outing while striking out one.
 
Rutgers clawed their way back into the game with a run on a groundout in the first and two sacrifice flies in the second. Chris Brito gave the Scarlet Knight their biggest at bat of the night with a two-run home run to left field in the third to make it 6-5 Sycamores.
 
ISU outhit Rutgers 12-10 led by Dungan who finished with a team-best three base knocks on 3-for-4 hitting, scoring two times. Means, Enriquez and Boyle also reached on hits twice in the game.
 
Brito led Rutgers with two base hits, two RBI and a run scored.
 
The Sycamores will look to earn the series sweep of Rutgers Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET with right-hander Tyler Whitbread scheduled to make the start on the mound. Fans can listen to the action live on GoSycamores.com with Luke Martin on the call.
 
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